SOME kidney cancer drugs will no longer be routinely prescribed by the NHS in Wales – a decision last night slammed by the wife of a pensioner with terminal cancer.

Health minister Edwina Hart announced yesterday she will follow guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) which says the drugs are not cost effective.

The advice covers Nexavar, Avastin and Torisel. The drug Sutent will only be routinely prescribed as a first-line treatment.

Ray Jones, 73, wife of Gwilym Jones, 71, of Amlwch, who has kidney cancer, said: “It is very upsetting that they keep changing the rulings on this, these are people’s lives they are talking about but they make these decisions without thinking of the impact.

“Gwilym is currently on Interferon but we were told Sutent was available if that drug became less effective, now we don’t know what will happen because it would not be a first treatment. They told us this was available to us and then they turn around and say it isn’t.”

Former security guard Gwilym said: “We just don’t know where we stand on this.”

In January, Ms Hart told health boards to make all four drugs available despite NICE still being in the process of approving them.

In August when NICE announced that three of the drugs, Avastin, Nexavar and Torisel should not be prescribed, Ms Hart ordered the health boards to continue funding the drugs while she considered the guidance and took advice.

Ms Hart said that all current treatments should continue until patients and their specialists decide it is the right time to stop.

The Assembly Government said exceptional clinical circumstances for having a drug would still be considered if recommended by the patient’s oncologist.